Making friends at Washington Gas

You know it's going to be interesting when the Washington Gas guy is struck silent by the work done in your home. 

So far, it looks like the gas folks are willing to talk. The contractor I collared on the street this morning was pretty appalled. The Washington Gas rep who came by this evening to check the work was dumbstruck by the choices made by their contractors. He was equally annoyed that they turned the meter 90 degrees so it's impossible to read or reach the valves. 

But so what if the guys down the line think something should be done? Well, the WashGas guy called in his supervisor, who detoured here at 9 pm to look at it himself. He then gave me the name and email of the guy to send photos to. Although there is still talk of them building a box over that hot mess, I'm making it clear that we do NOT want a box. A box. Dude, that is my dining room. If I wanted a built-in, that corner is not where I would have put it!

So it is being pursued. That may be in passive tense, but we are not being passive. 

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In other news, I'd like for the loved ones of my dear friends, neighbors, and random people I meet on the street to stop getting sick and dying. Please. Thank you. If I have any sway with the powers that be, I'd like to invoke them now. 

Also, it'd be really swell if someone would apply their mega-huge intellect (or plain common sense) and sort out a way to stop the Deepwater Horizon spill. I'd like that too, again, if anyone out there is listening. 

There are times when feeling depressed seems the only civil option. Occasionally recently I've found myself almost light-hearted, but then I feel this tinge of guilt, a shadow over the bright happy life I've been lucky enough to live, because I feel it's so undeserved. Why have other parents lost their babies? Why do other moms have to fight cancer and other illnesses? What did I do that my kids are happy and healthy? Am I grateful enough, as though being hyper aware and grateful can serve as a talisman against the things that scare me. I'm hyper-aware of the fragility of my happiness. That at any moment some truck could hit my family and Poof, everything might change. 

I know it's nonsense to be afraid of all the dangers out there, but sometimes the world feels heavy. Obviously, this is a bad attitude to have, so I'm working on it. Reading some escapist literature, working on a new project, watching Glee, planning picnics and birthdays.

And holding my babies close. Squirmy and temperamental though they may be.

Comments

[ush]

Sometimes, though, it is ok to have that pity-party table-for-one as it lets us put all of those blessings and wonderments in perspective. Living for today, carpe diem, blah...blah...blah...I just try to find some hidden joy in folding one thousand pair of little boy socks. Also, dark chocolate...with a good cup of strong tea and a book to steel the soul ...but mostly the dark chocolate...can make some of those anxieties melt for a moment.